Bibliographic information: Myers, Walter D. Sunrise Over Fallujah. New York: Scholastic Press, 2008. ISBN-13: 978-0-439-91624-0
Plot Summary:
The story follows of a small group of soldiers during the invasion and occupation of Iraq. Robin Perry is a young soldier from New York and is part of a civilian affairs team in the Iraq War. Along with his officers Robin makes friends with Marla and Jonesy. Marla is a female soldier that usually operates a machine gun and is portrayed as much tougher than many of her male counterparts. Jonesy is from Georgia and is only hoping to make it through the war to open his own blues club. These three, along with their NCO s and officers, go around recent combat zones trying to make friends with the population. This often entails trying to establish good will with people who were accidentally injured by American forces during the fighting. The war of invasion goes rather quickly, but the war of occupation is much longer and more dangerous. The soldiers find that it is difficult to clearly identify the enemy and follow the rules of engagement, which change on a daily basis. The crew is supposed to be in a support position, but often find themselves in scrapes.
After serving in the occupation force for quite a while the crew winds up in Fallujah where they are trying to court the support of a local leader. Robin finds two Iraqis who are trying to rape a female officer and is forced to kill them both at close range. He had shot at people from a distance, but was never sure of an outcome, Fallujah marked a change to that and he now knew that he had killed in war. After Fallujah, the soldiers are sent for a few days R&R and then are handpicked to head up a mission to the border region with Iran. The mission will change the unit and everyone in it.
Critical Evaluation:
The story is full of action and inner conflict. The writer takes soldiers from both sexes and from entirely different backgrounds and brings them together in a tough situation. This was a realistic reflection of what the situation was like. The writer does not seem to have been clearly for or against the War in Iraq, but he was clear in illustrating the horror of a war. The three main characters are in their late teens and have the same inner conflicts with authority and with their lives that teens at peace do. I would not say that this book is directly a tribute to the American soldier, but is a tribute to young people in a difficult situation who are doing the best they can.
The description of the war zones is masterfully done. Although I have never been to Iraq, I have been to former zones of conflict (the Balkans) and the little details about destruction war causes seem accurate to me. The dialogue the soldiers share with each other seems genuine except that there is not an abundance of foul language that one is used to reading in books of this genre. There are many military terms that the writer uses, but he includes a glossary in the back of the book that makes it much easier to understand the story.
Reader’s Annotation:
Robin is a young soldier trying to stay alive and make sense of the War in Iraq. His companions come from different backgrounds and all of them find that war is not as clearly cut as they had expected. They see the horror first hand and participate in the fighting.
Information about the author:
Walter Dean Myers is one of the most well-known writers of contemporary YA Fiction. The author is well known for some of his other works dealing with coming of age issues and disadvantaged backgrounds. Myers has also written an acclaimed book on the Vietnam War and was a soldier in the U.S. Army. His experience as a soldier allows him to better write about military life and the soldier’s mindset.
Myers has won much recognition such as the Coretta Scott King Award, Newbery Honors, and the Michael J. Prinz Award. He is married and has three children, one of whom he collaborates with on literary projects. One of his hobbies is travel and he has traveled all over the world.
Genre:
YA War
Booktalking Ideas:
1. Discuss the different backgrounds of the characters and how these cause conflict within the ranks.
2. Talk about the idea that they are not sure who the enemy is and how this makes their job particularly difficult.
3. Focus on the fact that these teenagers have an enormous amount of responsibility and have to make life and death decisions.
4. Explore the idea that some of the soldiers come from tough backgrounds and are not unused to violence in their lives before the army.
Reading Level/Interest Age:
15+
Challenge Issues:
Violence
Challenge Defense Ideas:
1. Read the book.
2. Be Familiar with the policy of the ALA and your institution.
3. Make a note of the contents of the work and how they fall in with the collection development policy of your institution and the standpoint of the ALA.
4. Gain an awareness of the awards, reviews, and criticisms of the work, as well as other works by the same writer.
5. Know the process for materials challenges at your library.
Why did you include this book? :
Some young adult readers are contemplating joining the military; some in the age group are currently serving in war zones. I think this book offers great insight into the life of a young soldier in a war zone.
Author’s Website:
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